Can the World's Thinnest Keyboard Cut a German Sausage?

If you cast your mind back to 2009, you might recall the Palm Pre had an edge so sharp, it was able to cut through cheese. Measuring just half a millimetre thick, the world's thinnest keyboard -- made by British company CSR in partnership with Atmel and CIT -- should be able to take on a bratwurst, surely. I put my IFA lunch to the test.

In case you missed the news when CSR revealed its keyboard, the flexible touch interface has been made possible thanks to Cambridge-based CIT's inkjet-printed copper-on-plastic innovation, which can turn any area into a touch-sensitive surface. My brief play with it showed that while I made a few typos, it had about the same level of accuracy as typing on a normal iPad or Android tablet's on-screen keyboard.

Connecting to a tablet or laptop via Bluetooth, the battery life is currently around 7 - 8 hours, though it's possible to boost the battery via USB when connected to a tablet (or other power source).

However much we may want it built into a tablet cover or as a stand-alone device, we've got some waiting to do -- CSR figures it won't be commercially available until Christmas 2014. In the meantime, I'm going to keep my eyes on this company, to see how else they apply this technology -- wearable interfaces, anyone?

Lastly, if anyone's going hungry, there's a somewhat-mangled bratwurst lurking in a bin near CSR's IFA stand. I wouldn't mention it to the company reps if I were you, though.